New Hay

[Deleted member 154515]

Hello. I’m new to this type of stuff so please help me out. I got my 2 male guinea pigs about 3 months ago. I recently got them 2 new bags of hay (same brand and type) but they won’t eat it as well as they used to. The new hay does seem to feel harder and the color also looks lighter, but on the bag, it says that it is the same type of hay. I’ve been giving them this new hay for a week or two but they still won’t eat all of it like they used to. I know they’re hungry because they always eat their pellets, eat their treats, and drink lots of water (maybe to make up for the decrease of hay they eat). I’m not sure which one but I think one of them threw up some water or pellets because there were soggy pellets in their bowl. I’ve also noticed that they’ve been getting much skinnier when I hold them. I don’t understand what the problem is. Should I just get new hay again?

 

[Piggies&buns]

As hay is a natural product, even the same brand can vary. That variation may mean it doesn’t taste as nice and piggies can refuse to eat it. It can often be wise to feed a few different types of hay so that if one ever isn’t quite up to par, they have another type that they will eat. For example I feed meadow hay and an orchard hay.

Piggies cannot throw up. Some pellets must just have made it into the water bowl but it won’t have been from them being physically sick.

Hay is 75% of their daily food intake whereas veg and pellets are merely supplementary and only jointly make 25% (one cup of veg of pig per day, and just one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day) If their hay intake has reduced it becomes an urgent situation and you will notice weight loss. If this occurs and they lose 50g or more then you need to step in with syringe feeding a recovery feed and see a vet is weight loss continues.

Do you carry out the routine weekly weight checks? If you feel they are getting skinny then they may well have not been eating for longer than you think. You must now weight to daily weight checks so you can monitor what is going on with their hay intake, and as I said if they are losing weight, syringe feed them to stop any further weight loss.

Please do read the guides below

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Weight - Monitoring and Management
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

 

[piggieminder]

I'd try mixing in a different brand/hay type I find mine tend to get fed up of having the same all the time. I feed two or three different types at once to keep it interesting for them.

 

[fluffysal]

Mine get a mix of hay, also I often mix some forage into it. They go mad for it every time.

 

[Merab]

Welcome to the forum

 

[Deleted member 154515]

As hay is a natural product, even the same brand can vary. That variation may mean it doesn’t taste as nice and piggies can refuse to eat it. It can often be wise to feed a few different types of hay so that if one ever isn’t quite up to par, they have another type that they will eat. For example I feed meadow hay and an orchard hay.

Piggies cannot throw up. Some pellets must just have made it into the water bowl but it won’t have been from them being physically sick.

Hay is 75% of their daily food intake whereas veg and pellets are merely supplementary and only jointly make 25% (one cup of veg of pig per day, and just one tablespoon of pellets per pig per day) If their hay intake has reduced it becomes an urgent situation and you will notice weight loss. If this occurs and they lose 50g or more then you need to step in with syringe feeding a recovery feed and see a vet is weight loss continues.

Do you carry out the routine weekly weight checks? If you feel they are getting skinny then they may well have not been eating for longer than you think. You must now weight to daily weight checks so you can monitor what is going on with their hay intake, and as I said if they are losing weight, syringe feed them to stop any further weight loss.

Please do read the guides below

Not Eating, Weight Loss And The Importance Of Syringe Feeding Fibre
Weight - Monitoring and Management
All About Syringe Feeding and Medicating Guinea Pigs with Videos and Pictures

I feed them western timothy hay along with orchard grass. my piggies have eaten crunchier hay before, so I don’t understand why they’re picking through them now. My older guinea pig, Louis, feels not too skinny when I hold him and his fur also feels different from Chico, the younger one. Also, I haven’t been weighing my guinea pigs because I never thought I’d need to. (I am a pretty young owner so I don’t have the financial stability and knowledge to support my guinea pigs as well. But if I need to, I am willing to buy the things necessary for my piggies health.) Although I hope not, should I visit the vet to check for any major health problems first?

 

[Deleted member 154515]

I'd try mixing in a different brand/hay type I find mine tend to get fed up of having the same all the time. I feed two or three different types at once to keep it interesting for them.

I already feed them 2 different types (orchard grass and western timothy) but should I give them another option?

 

[Pantalaimon]

A while ago I had a box of hay that was just amazing, so strongly scented and bright green, my pigs ate more hay than I’ve ever known them eat before. I then started the current box and they hardly touched it for a week because it was just not as amazing as the last one (still perfectly edible though). Now having got through the whole box (very slowly) they are finally eating loads of it again! I do think they can be unnecessarily fussy sometimes!
It really is worth persevering though, a trick I’ve found is giving them fresh hay when they are hungry (before pellet time especially) then leaving the pellets a bit late so they they get hungry and eat the hay. It forces them to get used to it (without compromising their welfare, or costing a ridiculous amount in hay) rather than just filling up on their junk food!

 

[piggieminder]

I already feed them 2 different types (orchard grass and western timothy) but should I give them another option?

If their not getting too used to one type it's not necessary to have 3 although I'm sure a change helps sometimes. Maybe they get bored, I have different makes as well as types. Hay is a natural growing product so it's not consistent and sometimes a batch will not be as good as it was before. I also turn over and mix up the piles of hay in their cages if it's not going down very well, they regain interest in what they have then.

I should add I have six piggies so get through a lot of hay, buying lots of different ones at the same time is not practical for someone with two piggies unless you have a lot of storage.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I feed them western timothy hay along with orchard grass. my piggies have eaten crunchier hay before, so I don’t understand why they’re picking through them now. My older guinea pig, Louis, feels not too skinny when I hold him and his fur also feels different from Chico, the younger one. Also, I haven’t been weighing my guinea pigs because I never thought I’d need to. (I am a pretty young owner so I don’t have the financial stability and knowledge to support my guinea pigs as well. But if I need to, I am willing to buy the things necessary for my piggies health.) Although I hope not, should I visit the vet to check for any major health problems first?

I feed them western timothy hay along with orchard grass. my piggies have eaten crunchier hay before, so I don’t understand why they’re picking through them now. My older guinea pig, Louis, feels not too skinny when I hold him and his fur also feels different from Chico, the younger one. Also, I haven’t been weighing my guinea pigs because I never thought I’d need to. (I am a pretty young owner so I don’t have the financial stability and knowledge to support my guinea pigs as well. But if I need to, I am willing to buy the things necessary for my piggies health.) Although I hope not, should I visit the vet to check for any major health problems first?

It is very important that you weigh your piggies as part of routine care. It can be a first line when spotting an illness as piggies can hide their symptoms.
If your piggies are losing weight then you need to step in with feeding support and vet care. Please read the guides I linked in my previous reply.